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Thursday, November 17, 2011

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite..."The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbage and kings....." Even the Jabberwocky would be impressed by the amount of ground we are about to cover. So, relax, grab your favorite beverage and once you're comfortable, we'll start talking turkey, or lack thereof.

Many of you were surprised to learn that my holiday dinner plans did not include a turkey. Rest assured, there is nothing subversive or elitist in that decision. As it happens, there will be no children at the table this year, so I felt no compunction to prepare a ritual meal. I've made a lot of turkeys in my day. When my children were small, we had turkey at least once a month. Back then, turkeys weren't brined or salted, so roasting a bird was a simple undertaking. It was also a marvelously inexpensive way to feed a family. Some of you may be old enough to remember when supermarkets actually gave turkeys away during the holiday. Even in off-season, it was not unusual to find birds that cost 19 to 29 cents a pound. A lot of us ate a lot of turkey back in the day, and I suspect it lost its "special" status because of that. Those of you who worry about such things will be happy to know we had turkey for our dinner last night. While a just roasted bird may not be our favorite meal, the dishes made from its leavings number among those at the top of the list. This soup is one of them.

The soup, called Veloute De Volaille a La Senegalaise, is Julia Child's version of curried turkey soup. It is made from carcass stock, good curry powder and leftover vegetables. The finished soup is worthy of company and I guarantee it will impress your guests. As a matter of fact, I'll be serving it as a first course on Saturday night as a prelude to the star of the evening, a gorgeous beef filet . The soup is a two step process that I hope you'll try. I use a mild curry powder to make this. If you prefer to use one with more heat, proceed with caution. The soup can be made well ahead of time, though you'll want to film it with a light coat of cream to prevent a skin from forming. You can also freeze it.

Before moving onto the recipe, I wanted to let you know about a cookbook that has been written by a fellow blogger, Stephen Crout. Stephen's blog is called The Obsessive Chef and his new book, A Cook's Book for Cooks, can be purchased here. Stephen is a talented writer and while his book is more a dialogue on food than a standard recipe book, I think you'll find it both interesting and provocative.

Directions:Melt butter in a large saucepan. Stir in curry powder and cook slowly for 1 minute. Add onions and cook for about 10 minutes without browning. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Vigorously beat in poultry stock with a wire whisk. If you are using leftover mashed potatoes, they should be added at this time. Return soup to heat and whisk in cream, one tablespoon at a time, until soup is of desired thickness. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in turkey, herbs and up to 1 cup diced leftover vegetables, if using. Bring to a simmer just before serving. If soup is not to be served immediately or will be served cold, film surface with stock or cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill if to be served cold. Yield: 6 servings.

Julia Child's Poultry StockIngredients:1 turkey carcass2 to 3 pounds turkey necks, hearts and gizzards2 tablespoons salt2 large carrots, roughly chopped2 celery stalk, roughly chopped2 leeks, roughly chopped2 peeled onions stuck with 2 cloves1 large herb bouquet: 8 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon thyme or sageDirections:Chop up carcass and place in a large kettle with necks and other poultry parts. Cover by 2 inches of water. Add salt and bring to a simmer. Skim surface to remove scum for about 5 minutes, or until it almost ceases to rise. Add vegetables and herb bouquet and simmer, uncovered, for about 4 hours, skimming fat and scum as required. Add water if required to keep ingredients covered. Strain liquid into a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let cool uncovered, then chill. When chilled, scrape off surface fat. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. Stock can be frozen.

I just made turkey yesterday (And I did brine it) just so I could have the leftovers. And today I'm making the stock. This is the best part of making a turkey. The soup sounds heavenly and I'll probably end up buying the book. I have a weakness.

But I have to have turkey on Thanksgiving or Christmas. I just love knowing there is plenty of turkey meat waiting in the fridge, just sitting patiently there for me to open the door and make sandwich after sandwich. I like my turkey sandwich with mayo and iceberg lettuce on rye. Now, there's a blog idea...

I know people freaked out when I told them we weren't going to do a turkey this year either! It's just Chris and I this year... they don't even make a turkey small enough for just the two of us :) I might have to keep this soup in mind though.. it sounds absolutely delicious!!

Mary, half the fun of having turkey on Thanksgiving for me is making soup from the carcass over the weekend following. I am excited to have this version.

And, the roasted apple and bacon salad sounds delcious. We had lots of bacon drippings/ vinegar type dressings when I was growing up. Not sure why, but I've hardly ever made any myself. This one might be a good trip down memory lane. Thank you. Have a wonderful day. blessings ~ tanna

We’ve been on the road without wi-fi access since Monday morning, so I’m behind in my blog reading. If it were up to me, turkey wouldn't me on the menu either (but dressing and mashed potatoes would), but Bev is a traditionalist. I really like the salad below and fried sweet potatoes are a favorite of mine. Hard to go wrong with a nice brined and roasted pork loin.

I enjoy reading your blog. Always with an interesting write-up. Turkey in my part of the world is expensive, so we only have it once a year ie. christmas time. thanks for sharing your recipe as it will come handy next month:)

While I never suspected you to be subversive, I do appreciate the explanation, as I did wonder at the time. I think the very best thing about Thanksgiving is that, by its very nature, it is a holiday where you can choose whatever dish makes you happy and thankful.

How funny "The time has come..." was in the title of my blog this week but I didn't have any fun food puns to go with it. I always love your comments come see me at the new site. Have a Blessed Day. (darn I don't think it links to my new site.... forgive the address in the comment... www.bossychef.com formerly Coulis and Compote. That soup looks fantastic by the way.

Hello Mary, I so appreciated that you happened upon us "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard". Thank you for you most wonderful kind words before you took your leave. I, in turn, enjoyed going through some of your beautiful collections of recipes. Such a beautiful talent you have. I look forward to you dropping in to see me again. Blessings to you as well. Cindy

I eat turkey maybe once a year around this time, but there's no law saying it's a holiday necessity, right? I've never tasted any kind of turkey soup before, but now I want to go out and buy the bird for the sole purpose of making some. It looks so flavorful and inviting, which is just what I need as winter rolls in...

Sometimes I look forward more the Sunday after Thanksgiving soup than the turkey. I do remember free turkeys, cheap turkeys and we do indeed have it more than once a year. My husband insists on the same dinner - every year - with the same recipes. It - gets old - but don't tell him - because I love him.

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